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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28898712">How to save the Pegasus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helis_von_Askir/pseuds/Helis_von_Askir'>Helis_von_Askir</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Battlestar Galactica (2003)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:01:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28898712</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helis_von_Askir/pseuds/Helis_von_Askir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How the battle of New Caprica should have gone down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>How to save the Pegasus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>We all know that Lee only sacrificed the Pegasus because the show needed the soundstage with the Pegasus sets for the Cylon sets. A poor trade in my opinion, but fine. Now, here is how the attack on New Caprica should really have gone down.<br/>Oh, and no fat Lee, I mean really, Dee would have put her foot down a long time before it got to that point and made him take anti-depressants. She’s not one to let someone she loves suffer.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You don’t seem convinced of the plan.” Bill Adama noted after the others had left. Only his son Lee remained behind at a nod from him. He looked tired, Bill thought. They all looked tired. Maybe Lee was right and he was pushing them too hard, but what else could he do? They needed to get their people back as soon as possible. Every day down there more of them died.</p>
<p>“It’s a good plan,” Lee said after a moment, “But if I could make a couple of suggestions, that might improve our chances of getting out there alive.”</p>
<p>Bill handed him a drink. “I’m all ears, son.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hurry up and wait. That was fighting battles was all about. Hurry up to get into position and then wait, just wait for the right moment. They were done with the hurry up part, now they had to wait. The Resistance down on New Caprica was ready, Sharon had secured the launch keys, they only needed to wait for daylight to start evacating the planet.</p>
<p>“Everything ready on your part?” Bill asked Lee on Pegasus. He had included Lee’s suggestions into his plan, they were good ones. In fact, Bill wondered why he hadn’t thought of them himself. Maybe he was getting too old, too set in his ways.</p>
<p>“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be.” Lee replied. “Good hunting, Admiral.”</p>
<p>“Good hunting, Commander.” Adama replied and watched the clock as it counted down to zero, too slow and too fast at once.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The decoy raptors were the first to jump into the nebula. Thankfully the release of the drones went off without a hitch this time, fooling the Cylons into believing that Galactica and Pegasus had come back at that particular point in space, not too close, but also not too far away. Dradis readouts were spotty but Bill could tell that the two basestars were moving off from the planet. Now came the first changes that Lee had suggested.</p>
<p>Instead of jumping Galactica into the planet’s low atmosphere to release the vipers, as Bill had planned, two of the civilian freighters did that with the fighters strapped to their outer hulls. As they fell towards the surface the vipers released and started to take the raiders and guard towers down so the downed ships could start to take off. The two freighters jumped out again the moment the last viper had disengaged.</p>
<p>“Ocean Star and Persephone just jumped back.” The comms station reported. “Vipers safely delivered.”</p>
<p>“Then let’s make our grand entrance.” Bill said and the Galactica jumped towards the two basestars that by now had realized that they had been fooled and were on their way back.</p>
<p>“Vipers away.” Helo announced and they watched as the first fighters engaged the raiders.</p>
<p>“Firing solution ready?” Adama asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, Sir.” Helo replied.</p>
<p>Bill nodded. “Fire at will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sir, report from Hot Dog. Guard towers destroyed, raiders engaged, the first ships are lifting off.” The comms officer said not ten minutes later.</p>
<p>“Good, let’s see which of our desperate second act options we’ll need.” Bill muttered, his eyes glued to the Dradis read-out.</p>
<p>“One basestar destroyed.” Helo announced moments later, “Two more just jumped in.”</p>
<p>“Signal the Pegasus, they’re up.” Bill ordered. Not the option he had hoped for.</p>
<p>“Raptor away.” Lt. Ayshlee reported seconds later.</p>
<p>Bill had been sceptical about Lee’s idea to use the raptors for communications but it was working rather well. It had allowed him to leave the Pegasus with the fleet until needed, guarding the ships they had left but ready to come to Galactica’s assistance at a moment’s notice.</p>
<p>Ten seconds later, Pegasus was there, releasing its vipers while it hammered into the nearest two basestars from the flank, taking them by surprise.</p>
<p>“Focus fire on that first basestar.” Bill ordered. The sooner they could take that out, the sooner they could move to support Pegasus.</p>
<p>“Sir, report from Colonial One, all ships have lifted off the surface, five minutes until they’ve all jumped.” Ayshlee informed him.</p>
<p>“Good, very good.” Bill muttered. This was working out better than he had expected. The vipers that had been dropped on the planet would provide escorts until the civilian ships jumped and then rejoin the battle here. With some luck, they would really pull this off.</p>
<p>“Basestar Number Three, destroyed.” Helo called.</p>
<p>That was one of the two Pegasus was keeping busy. So they were at even odds now, but hopefully they would be out of here before the Cylons could bring even more basestars here. He had always wondered why they hadn’t stationed more at New Caprica in the first place. According to the information the resistance had been able to obtain the Cylons claimed to have abandoned the Colonies, so where had all these ships gone?</p>
<p>“Last civilian ship away.” Ayshlee announced.</p>
<p>“Recall all vipers, we’re getting out of here.” Adama ordered. The raptors that had released the drones had either already returned to the fleet or were on standby for suicide runs if it became necessary. Bill was glad to see that it was not.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The two battlestars returned to the fleet and a quick count confirmed that all civilian ships had made it. That didn’t mean there weren’t any loses, but they were not nearly as high as they had feared and expected. Not willing to push their luck Adama immediately ordered another jump to put some more distance between them and New Caprica.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That was quite the daring rescue.” Laura said when she finally came over from Colonial One. Strictly speaking Zarek was now president, but the man was smart enough not to push the point for now. Having refused to even consider cooperating with the Cylons spoke in his favour but he had gotten Baltar elected and no one would forget that anytime soon.</p>
<p>“We had a good plan.” Bill replied and handed her a drink. “I’m just sorry it took us so long to come up with it.”</p>
<p>“Better late than never.” Laura sighed. “We’re still counting but so far it looks like we lost between five and six thousand on that planet.”</p>
<p>Bill nodded. He had only lost seven pilots and four other crew members, Lee even less. They had gotten off easy. “You did a good job, keeping them alive.”</p>
<p>“What about Tigh? He…he lost Ellen.” Laura whispered.</p>
<p>“Sickbay for the moment, after that?” Bill shook his head. “He loved her very much. I hope he’ll recover.”</p>
<p>They drank for a while in silence. It was as comfortable as it had never been before. Bill was glad to have her back, and not only as president.</p>
<p>“What would you have done if your plan hadn’t worked?” She suddenly asked. “If they had too many basestars for you to overcome?”</p>
<p>Bill took a deep breath. “We considered that very carefully. We would have tried to take enough of them out by making suicide runs with nuked up raptors to allow for the escape to happen. And if that wouldn’t have been enough Pegasus would have jumped back to the fleet with whatever ships made it off the planet and continued on while, well, I wasn’t going to abandon you all down there.”</p>
<p>“You would have sacrificed Galactica?” Laura wanted to know. “And everyone onboard it?”</p>
<p>“If it became necessary, yes.” Bill nodded. “Lee is a good commander, he would have taken good care of the fleet and found them a new world to settle on. But I’m still glad that it hasn’t come to it. I do like Galactica, my old war horse will see us through.”</p>
<p>“With the young one waiting dutifully in the wings to take over when the going gets tough.” Laura smiled. “You and your son make a good team, no matter how much you two might deny it.”</p>
<p>End</p>
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